Published: October 16, 2009 10:42 am      

Princeton volleyball team stops skid

PRINCETON — “Hallelujah! We finally won,” exclaimed Princeton volleyball coach Leslie Whitt on Oct. 13, when her team defeated Bluefield 2-1 to end a protracted losing streak.

What made the victory extra sweet was the fact that it was Senior Night, as Krystle White and Mari Campbell were honored for their outstanding contributions to the squad during their high school careers.

White, who severely injured her ankle two weeks ago, has missed the last 10 matches. Prior to her injury, she was averaging seven kills and three blocks per match. In addition, her serving accuracy was an excellent 86 percent. White, a fine all-around athlete, also plays softball and basketball. Last season, she led her basketball team in field goal accuracy. She plans to be a radiologist, but has not yet decided which university she will attend.

This season, Campbell has averaged 18 digs per match. She is one of the top “diggers” in the state. Her serving accuracy is an outstanding 96 percent and her passing percentage an impressive 92 percent. She will attend Virginia Tech and plans ultimately to become an anesthesiologist.

Earlier in the evening, the Tigers fell to Independence 2-0 in the opening match of a tri-match.

In the Bluefield match, Princeton lost the opening game 20-25, but bounced back to capture the next two games 25-18 and 25-15. Pacing the Tigers’ win were Chelsy Walker (13 kills, two blocks, three digs, 10 service points including three aces) and Kendria Perkins (10 kills, nine service points including 6 aces). Providing excellent support were Mari Campbell (15 digs, eight service points including two aces), Jennifer Pruett (21 assists — her season high), Kim White (five kills, one block) and Delaney Najar (four kills, three blocks, and three service points).

Against Independence, Princeton fell 14-25 and 22-25. Chelsy Walker recorded five kills, two blocks, and two service points. Mari Campbell added eight digs and four service points while Jennifer Pruett contributed six assists, a block, and a service point. Delaney Najar tallied 5 service points and recorded two kills. Morgan Hill scored two service points. Kim White had a kill and two blocks. Kendria Perkins added two kills and a service point while Brandi Wimmer had a spike and Haley Conner an assist.

The previous evening, Princeton fell to Mercer Christian Academy (2-1) and the PikeView Panthers (2-1). In the Mercer Christian Academy match, the Tigers won the first game 25-19, but sustained a tough loss in the second game 24-26, and succumbed in the third game 13-25. Leading the attack were Kendria Perkins (8 kills, 5 digs, 7 service points, and 3 blocks) and Chelsy Walker (11 kills, 10 service points including four aces). Mari Campbell recorded 16 digs and collected three service points. Jennifer Pruett and Haley Connor registered 10 and nine assists, respectively. Brandi Wimmer contributed four digs while Kim White recorded three kills and a block. Delaney Najar had a kill and a block.

Against the Panthers, Princeton captured the first game 25-22, but lost the second game 22-25. PikeView won the third game 25-19. For the match, Mari Campbell had an incredible 32 digs. She added four service points. Chelsy Walker had 13 kills, four service points, and 3 blocks. Kendria Perkins slammed 10 spikes and tallied eight service points. Haley Conner collected 13 assists and 11 service points while Jennifer Pruett added eight assists. Delaney Najar and Kim White had three and two kills, respectively. Megan Conner contributed 6 digs.